Another one done for the ST XI kink meme. I had fun writing this. Hope you have fun reading it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek!

Amanda steadily made her way ahead, not looking before her, but at the ground, or what little there was of it. Below she could see the universe stretching away in its vastness. She wasn't looking for the universe; she was looking for one, specific…

"Ah, there it is!" she cried happily, and made for the perfect view of the Enterprise, only to trip over someone already perched above it. "Ouch. Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry for tripping you," said the young man, helping her up to sit beside him. "I'm George Kirk."

"Amanda Grayson." They sat in silence for a while, watching the personnel of the great ship move about in routine like clockwork. It was a boring day for the Enterprise.

Again, they lapsed into silence. For many days they observed the bridge crew at their jobs, simply content, as the dead are, to lose themselves in the workings of the living. But something troubling was occurring below…

"I think he's in love," sighed George as he and Amanda watched Kirk tidy up his room once again. From time to time the man would shake his head and move something distractedly, or recheck his hair in the mirror in the closet, or straighten out his shirts again, making them layer perfectly over and over. "I used to act in the same stupid manner when I first met Winona."

"Sarek never acted like that," chuckled Amanda, remembering the confident way he'd asked her, 'Is there anyone special in your life?'

"Who do you think it is?" asked George, leaning forward to peer more closely at his son's face. "I don't think it's any of the yeomen. He would have moved already if it were."

"No. Perhaps the doctor?" Amanda settled on her elbows as she joined him in staring. Kirk had moved on into the sickbay and was engaging in wistful, distracting conversation with his best friend. For his part, McCoy looked ready to strangle him, but he let Kirk lean on the desk as he went through the piles of paper.

"I don't think that's it…" muttered George. Amanda smiled, obviously now as piqued as he was. They made quick verbal notes on each of the captain's interactions as the man went up to the bridge for his shift, and then, suddenly-

"It's Spock!" they proclaimed together, seeing the twinkle in Kirk's eye as he greeted his stoic first officer.

"That's surprising," said Amanda, leaning her chin on an upraised hand. "Your son seems to be a masochist." George had explained to her the strangulation of Kirk, something she had missed in her transit from one world to the next.

"At least he feels something," George rebutted mildly, stirring up wisps of substance absently as he contemplated the scene below. "I don't suppose there is any chance of reciprocation?"

"I… I don't know." Amanda examined Spock's impassive face curiously. He'd become better at controlling himself now, about a year after her death.

"After all, he was involved with that communications officer a few months back," continued George, folding his arms. "Sure, she had it going for her, but she's nothing compared to Jim."

"Is that how this is going to go?" Amanda sent him a pointed glance. "At least Spock doesn't dally with everything that moves."

"Jim has to. Otherwise he'd never get any satisfaction," defended George. "I mean, being in love with a Vulcan is like being in love with cardboard. Except for pon farr." He was deliberately baiting her; she could see it in his boyish grin. That didn't make her any less willing to follow through.

"How do you even know about that?" She raised an eyebrow. "That's Vulcan cultural knowledge that you should have no access to."

Amanda blushed. "That's not something you really ask about, George Kirk." She said it like her mother always did when she was angry: one name at a time until you crept fearfully into the room.

"Hm. Oh look, they're playing chess." George had relaxed his confrontational posture and had settled again, pensively taking in the game board.

"Good. Perhaps they'll be friends." After a moment, Amanda also calmed. She crossed her legs and leaned back on her hands.

Indeed, it seems the two, captain and Vulcan, forged an improbable bond over the next couple of months. Nightly chess games soon turned into something more. George and Amanda turned their faces away in something akin to embarrassment.

"I guess the Vulcan finally came around," said George, refusing to admit his hand in Spock's increasingly frequent dreams of Kirk.